Hunter
This article is a description of the character class '''Hunter'. For a description of the role of hunters within the lore of Warcraft, see Hunter lore. ''For related articles, see Category:Hunters. Overview The Hunter is a vicious damage dealer, but mainly at range. Hunters have pets that add to their dps and help manage aggro. Hunters track, tame and slay animals and beasts found in the wild. Hunters consider their weapons and pets to be their only true friends. *The Hunter tames wild beasts of Azeroth, training them to fight at their side. Hunters, along with Warlocks, Mages (Summon Water Elemental talent), Druids (Force of Nature Balance talent), and Priests (Shadowfiend spell) make up the five classes that can have combat pets. The Hunter is the only class that can name their pets, while Warlock pets get generated names. *The Hunter excels in outdoor survival skills, such as tracking and laying traps. While they can deal moderate melee damage, they are built for ranged attack. *The Hunter is only capable of wearing leather and cloth armor to start with; at level 40, they gain access to Mail armor. Most Hunters start with an axe or dagger and a gun or bow. With training, they can learn all other weapon skills except mace and 2-handed mace. *The Hunter has few magical abilities that require mana, such as pet healing or special shots, but their mana pools are not as large as the dedicated spell casters. *The Hunter can take on various Animal Aspects that grant special abilities, such as increased dodge, improved run speed, or even resistance. Races The Hunter class can be played by the following races: Alliance * Dwarves * Night Elves * Draenei ''(Draenei are not playable unless you own 'The Burning Crusade' expansion) Horde * Orcs * Tauren * Trolls * Blood Elves (Blood Elves are not playable unless you own 'The Burning Crusade' expansion) Talents and Abilities Hunters have a vast range of talents and abilities. These can be roughly categorized into the following: Ranged Fighting Ranged fighting requires a choice between a gun, bow or a crossbow. When starting, this will depend on your race. Dwarves and Tauren will be given guns, Draenei start with crossbows, and the other races get bows. Later, you can train in the other ranged weapon types too. Guns use bullets, while bows and crossbows use arrows. There are no bowyer or fletcher professions, so archers rely on shop vendors, mob drops and quests for purchasing their bows and arrows. Thorium Shells are made by engineers and are the best ammo that you can use. They can be turned into Thorium Headed Arrows by an NPC inside the inn close to the Ironforge bank, or in Orgrimmar in the Valley of Honor. Technically, Doomshot and Miniature Cannon Balls are the best ammunition in the game, but they are only available as drops off instance bosses and aren't practical to use all the time. As of Patch 2.01, Wicked Arrows can be purchased that add 22 dps (require level 55). Guns and bullets can both be made by engineers, which opens up the choices a little more. Whichever you choose, try to get a scope (made by engineers) to increase the damage, and buy the best ammunition you can afford. For further information see the Hunter Tactics page. Stings Like warlocks with their curses, hunters have stings, specialized debuffs to help them address specific situations. * Scorpid Sting - Reduces chance to hit by 5%. * Serpent Sting - Causes damage over time * Viper Sting - Drains mana over time * Wyvern Sting - Sleeps target and causes damage over time Melee Fighting When in battle, try to stay at range. In PvE, your pet can taunt enemies for you to keep their attention, using the growl pet skill. In PvP battle you will have to rely on your other abilities, such as laying traps and using Wing Clip. Hunters can also Raptor Strike for additional melee damage but it is still not viable for sustained damage compared to their ranged abilities. Combat Pets Pets are the most important tools in the hands of a hunter. They serve as aggro-management (at higher levels pets will have difficulties holding aggro), additional DPS and tanking. Many beast can be tamed and each offers a set of available active skills (there are special abilities just for wolves, just for cats, etc). In addition, certain pet types are tanking oriented (such as bears), and others are DPS oriented (such as cats and owls). Combined with the diversity of armor, stamina and Resistance buffs, it allows quite a great deal of customization. Many hunters have dedicated pets for Molten Core, PVP, tanking, and so on. Hunters can start taming pets at level 10 by completing a short series of quests. They are able to control the pet through various commands. Although hunters can only have one active pet at a time, stables can be used to house additional pets. See more at Hunter's pets. Traps Hunters have five different types of traps available for use. * Explosive Trap - Causes Fire damage to multiple targets * Freezing Trap - Freezes a single target * Frost Trap - Slows multiple targets * Immolation Trap - Causes Fire damage to a single target * Snake Trap - Summons snakes to attack one target Aspects Hunters have seven aspects at their disposal. Only one aspect may be active at a time. * Aspect of the Beast - Makes hunter untrackable * Aspect of the Cheetah - Increases run speed * Aspect of the Hawk - Increases ranged attack power * Aspect of the Monkey - Increases chance to dodge * Aspect of the Pack - Increases run speed of the party * Aspect of the Viper - Increases mana regeneration * Aspect of the Wild - Increases nature resistance Tracking Hunters can track different types of units. Only one tracking ability may be active at a time, to include profession tracking such as for mining or herbalism. * Track Beasts * Track Demons * Track Dragonkin * Track Elementals * Track Giants * Track Hidden * Track Humanoids * Track Undead Hunter Talents Talents are a way to specialize your character by enhancing your skills and/or learning new skills. From level 10 onwards you will receive a talent point every time you gain a level. There are three categories for Hunter Talents: *Beast Mastery *Marksmanship *Survival For further information see Hunter Talents and Hunter Talent Discussion. Level by Level Hunter Enhancements Level 1 Survival: Raptor Strike (rank 1) Level 2 Survival: Track Beasts Level 4 Beast Mastery: Aspect of the Monkey Marksmanship: Serpent Sting (rank 1) Level 6 Marksmanship Arcane Shot (rank 1) Hunters Mark (rank 1) Level 8 Marksmanship Concussive Shot Survival Raptor Strike (rank 2) Level 10 Marksmanship Serpent Sting (rank 2) Survival Track Humanoids Beast Mastery Aspect of the Hawk (rank 1) Level 12 Marksmanship Arcane Shot (rank 2) Distracting Shot Survival Wing Clip (rank 1) Beast Mastery Mend Pet (rank 1) Level 14 Marksmanship none Survival none Beast Mastery Eagle Eye Eyes of the Beast Scare Beast (rank 1) Level 16 Marksmanship none Survival Immolation Trap (rank 1) Mongoose Bite (rank 1) Raptor Strike (rank 1) Beast Mastery none Level 18 Marksmanship Multi-Shot (rank 1) Serpent Sting (rank 3) Survival Track Undead Beast Mastery Aspect of the Hawk (rank 2) Mend Pet (rank 2) Attributes Armor Hunters can use Cloth Armor and Leather Armor initially. At level 40 they can train to use Mail Armor. Hunter Armor Sets The Hunter's Armor sets are as follows: * Beaststalker Armor (Tier 0) * Beastmaster Armor (Tier 0.5) * Giantstalker Armor (Tier 1) * Dragonstalker Armor (Tier 2) * Cryptstalker Armor (Tier 3) * Demon Stalker Armor (Tier 4) * Predator's Armor (Zul'Gurub, requires Zandalar Tribe reputation) * Trappings of the Unseen Path (Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, requires Cenarion Circle reputation) * Striker's Garb (Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, requires Brood of Nozdormu reputation) Weapons Hunters are capable of learning how to use Bows, Guns, Crossbows, Thrown Weapons, Daggers, Axes, Fist Weapons, Swords, Polearms, Staves, Two-Handed Axes and Two-Handed Swords. The only weapons they cannot use are Wands and one-handed and two-handed Maces. Upon reaching level 20, Hunters can learn the skill Dual Wield. A comprehensive list of the best ranged weapons a Hunter can use at level 60, along with detailed information about them (up to date as of patch 1.10 when Hunters have been normalized), can be found at http://www.groovylick.com/wow/28nerf2.gif. A comprehensive list of the best melee weapons a Hunter can use at level 60, along with detailed information about their effect on ranged damage, can be found at http://wow.stoneform.org/hunterweapons.jpg. A derivation of the above hunter weapon link is also available at: http://hometown.aol.com/tahlvain/Surv.html and one for hunters without Lightning Reflexes http://hometown.aol.com/tahlvain/Marks.html. Starting Stats Attribute Conversions Following statistics are based on all (patch 1.12.x) level 60 hunters with both melee and range skills at 300. 7 Agility = 1 Dps 7 Ranged Attack Power = 1 Dps (changed in 2.0) 53.00 Agility = +1% Critical -> (33 Agi in 2.0) 26.50 Agility = +1% Dodge -> (20 Agi in 2.0) 55.00 Intellect = +1% Spell Critical 10 Strength is equal to: 10 Melee Attack Power 10 Agility is equal to: +10 Ranged Attack Power (changed in 2.0) +10 Melee Attack Power +20 Armor 10 Stamina = 100 Health 10 Intellect = 150 Mana 10 Spirit = 2 Mana per Tick Burning Crusade changes New Pets and Abilities The expansion will offer several new pets and abilities. Beta information can be found at http://petopia.brashendeavors.net/. Things hunters should remember Always keep an eye on your bullets or arrows; you don't want to run out of ammo in the middle of a fight. In instances, hunters have the ability to remove all the threat they have generated on a target via Feign Death. As a hunter, you use a lot of bullets or arrows. It's more cost-effective to buy them at a vendor than to craft them or buy them on the auction house. At level 60, Wicked Arrows are the strongest arrows you can buy. Doomshot and Miniature Cannon Balls deal more damage but are only dropped in instances so are mainly reserved for boss fights. Hunters that have acquired Honored reputation with their side's Alterac Valley faction can purchase the second most powerful ammo ;Ice Threaded Bullet and Ice Threaded Arrow from the supply officer. The Gnoll Skin Bandolier and Harpy Hide Quiver are also available from the quarter master for honor and AV marks. The bandolier is the best ammo pouch in the game, and the quiver is second only to the Ancient Sinew Wrapped Lamina. Pets are nice, but keep a very close eye on them in instances and raids; one wrong click can very well get you - and the party - killed. So set your pet on passive mode. The "OMG HUNTER LOOT" joke exists for a reason. Don't forget that you share your gear class with many other classes, both before and beyond level 40. It's very unlikely that you're the only person who needs any given drop. Even with ranged weapons, you'll get lots of competition. Hunters can learn to use every weapon in the game except Maces, Wands, and Shields. Don't assume because you "can" use something that you "need" it. End-Game Expectations The Hunter is usually the primary puller in Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, etc. Thus being so, you will be expected to know when to pull with your ranged weapon, when to body pull or ask the main tank to body pull for you, or use your pet to pull. There is also more to it than just shooting something to gain agro and thus bringing it to the tank ... many Hunters are expected to understand the mechanics of hate management and how to allow for the tank to garner more hate from a taunt. At very high levels a Hunter can learn the ability Misdirection that will 'plant' hate from their other abilities onto a target of their choice (likely the tank), and you should know the best manner in how to do so. A Hunter's pet will be expected to be trained in the appropriate Resistances for any given encounter, such as Fire Resistance for Molten Core for example. In addition, a Beast Mastery skilled Hunter will be expected to know how, when (and when not to) use their pet against every mob the raid will encounter. In regards to pets, it is also advised to use a pet that can benefit the raid in some way, shape or form (ie: a Wolf-type pet for Furious Howl to increase party melee damage or ranged damage, a Wind Serpent that can attack from ranged distance beside the hunter, or a pet designed for taking damage for off-tanking). The primary responsibility in nearly all raid encounters is for the Hunter to provide high amount of DPS over a sustained period of time. To do this in a raid setting, you will need to know when to use Feign Death in order erase the amount of hate you have dealt to the creature before you gain more hate than the raid's primary tank, and then resume the state of high DPS. As well, you will need a large mana pool and know how to effectively and efficiently use your abilities without running out of mana too quickly. Mana regen from items such as the Black Grasp of the Destroyer and abilities such as Aspect of the Viper can help you accomplish this fine balance of mana management and high DPS. In some cases you will be asked to Kite one or more creatures that either cannot or should not be killed during a specific encounter, thus allowing the rest of the raid to focus on other needs in order defeat the objective. Kiting is a skill that is best accomplished by Hunters, because of their optional speed buff, pets, and armor rating (Mages are quite skilled at snare/root kiting, but few instances require such a technique and is intense in it's use of mana) and requires practice. While kiting, you will need to shoot your target with instant abilities, and often use speed boosts (such as the movement speed enchantment for foot gear, speed potions, and/or using Aspect of the Cheetah). Kiting, for most hunters, is the hardest skill to learn, yet it is arguably the most important skill as well. Hunters wishing to participate in end-game PvP will find any of the talent trees help them towards their goals of massive player destruction! In Beast Mastery, a PvP-Hunter will find the skills of Intimidation, Bestial Wrath (to include The Beast Within), and a deadly pet worthy of causing havoc; a 'BM' Hunter would be considered ill-equipped in PvP without them. The Marksman tree skills of Improved Concussive Shot, Mortal Shots, Barrage, Improved Barrage, Concussive Barrage are all very, very good in a PvP setting, with the skills of Lethal Shots, Scatter Shot, and Silencing Shot being considered "must haves" within the tree. Finally, the Survival Hunter has many tricks up his sleeves allowing him or her to escape death as well as dish out the pain, with such skill as Humanoid Slaying, Savage Strikes, Deterrence & Counterattack, and Master Tactician, followed by the "can't do without" skills of Hawk Eye, Improved Wing Clip, Entrapment, Survivalist, Killer Instinct, and Readiness topping the charts. Some of the skills mentioned above are considered universal abilities that should be in any PvP-Hunter talent build, no matter which tree you put the majority of your points into, and these skills would be Hawk Eye (allowing you to do damage from much further away), Entrapment (to be used in conjuction with Frost Trap, and can literally turn the tide of an entire battle if used strategically), and Lethal Shots (a sizeable increase to your critical hit rate for only 5 points into Marksman). While using your abilities, keep in mind that Hunters excell at taking out soft targets like Warlocks, Priests, and Mages from a distance, and should do so before moving on to hard targets such as Warriors and Paladins, though if a Rogue is observed it is the Hunter who is best equipped to track the Rogue down and expose him. As well, it is the duty of every Hunter to make fun of Gnomes, in and out of PvP. See also See Starting a Hunter for some advice when starting out. See the Hunter Category for further information on the Hunter class. See Hunter PvP Tactics for PvP advice. See Hunter Talent Discussion for information on common Hunter Talent Builds. See Hunter resist guide for advice on choosing and getting resistance gear. A wide selection of good information can be read online at official WoW forums. Other links: *Good Intentions pet abilities table *Petopia *TKA Something *Hunter Burning Crusade PVP Clips - Beast Mastery Spec *A forum for help and strategy, by Hunters for Hunters ---- Category:Classes Category:Hunters Category:Hunter Abilities